GLENDALE HIGH SCHOOL XPLOSIONXPLOSION EEVOLUME 94, NO. 5 1440 E. BROADWAY, GLENDALE CA 91205 FRIDAY, MAY 14, 2010 Navolanic legacy lives on in fnalists PNMA: The 45th annual Pat Navolanic Memorial Award to be presented on Friday, May 21 in the auditorium.
SHANT ALVANDYAN LYOLYA HOVHANNISYAN EDWARD KARAPETYAN KATALINA SHER ELIZABETH SOVAKIAN team and has taken a lot of roles in leader- Edward Karapetyan has a 3.75 GPA. Elizabeth has done her part by making BY EVE EBRAHIMIAN Staff Reporter ship. In his spare time he does a lot of com- He has made the school a better place by Glendale High School a better place by munity service and has been a part of NHS, trying his best in both class and on the foot- helping as many people as she could and On May 21, the PNMA winner will KEY Club, GATE, JSA, as well as ASB. ball feld. Edward himself has been a part reaching out to everyone. Elizabeth has be announced. Several weeks ago, about Lyolya Hovhannisyan has a 4.3 GPA. of Debate Club, Future Doctors of Ameri- been a part of several extra activities and 35 club leaders and class presidents voted GHS is special to Lyolya because it has a ca, and various other school events. leadership activities. She has also been a from a list of nine students, and their fnal lot of diversity. She has made the school a Katalina Sher has a 4.3 GPA. Katalina part of ASB, Link Crew, Darfur Action vote determined who the fve fnalists are better place by bringing people to commu- is the fastest swimmer ever at GHS and is a Committee, Red Cross, and NHS. She is a and who the winner is. nity events. Lyolya is very involved with scholar-athlete. She has been a part of sev- member of the aquatics program. Shant Alvandyan has managed to leadership skills and extra activities in eral leadership activities, has done a lot of Dr. Peter Navolanic will present the keep a 4.1 GPA. He is the senior class pres- school and was a part of NHS, Red Cross, community service, and has been involved award in honor of his twin brother. Re- ident and enjoys coming to school. Shant CSF, Armenian Club, and Link Crew. She in KEY Club, NHS, as well as GATE. gardless of who wins, all fve fnalists have has been a part of the varsity volleyball is a member of the tennis team. Elizabeth Sovakian has a 3.9 GPA. done exceptionally well at GHS. Genocide assembly held Senior prom preview APRIL 24: Day to commemorate all of the Armenian DANCE: Seniors to celebrate June 5 at Vibiana in ancestors who passed away during treacherous march. Downtown L.A. Tickets on sale at student store May 20.
Photo by Justine Velasquez HONOR: Christine Garibian and Louiza Kozanian of Glendale High’s International Dance Team perform a traditional Armenian Dance. Photos by Alissa Der Sarkissian VENUE: (left) Inside the Vibiana. (right) Fountain outside the hall. child; his grandfather was a survivor of geles. Tickets will be sold in the student BY MARI KHASMANYAN the genocide, so he discussed the emo- BY DIANNA JAMIL store on May 20 for $95 with ASB, and News Editor tional pain that was refected upon him- Staff Reporter self as a child. $100 without ASB. They are available On Friday, April 23, the Glendale High About 1.5 million Armenians were Proms today are sophisticated affairs to be purchased online as well as at the School auditorium opened its doors to stu- massacred in the Armenian Genocide. infuenced by elegant designer dresses, student store. Without lights, the place dents, teachers and offcials to commemo- Today Armenians honor their ancestors extravagant limousines, and the incredible looks majestic and royal, but with lights rate the 95th anniversary of the Armenian on April 24, 1915. This day was not the battle for who makes prom court. Seniors on, the former church turns into an array Genocide with an assembly. The tone of only day in which the massacres oc- are undeniably ready to walk on stage with of bright and colorful lights ready to be the assembly differed from all other ones curred, however it is commonly noted their diploma in hand but frst, we must full of seniors dancing the night away. held during the school year, as it was held as the date in which Armenian philoso- celebrate our achievements. Prom is an on- Music for the evening will be provided to help students recognize the horrors of all phers, writers, and intellectuals were going tradition held at many high schools by DJ NezNice. genocides in the world. murdered. to savor the honor the four years that the Senior Class President Shant Al- The assembly featured many of Glen- The assembly was put together by class has shared together. vandyan said, “Prom is our fnal cel- dale’s own students. Karen Chakrian, Glendale High’s Armenian club, with The Senior Prom will be held on Sat- ebration before graduation, and it’s the Vardges Khachatryan, and Arsine Ghevan- Vahe Bozoyan and Lucin Hayrikyan as urday, June 5 from 7 p.m. to midnight at kickoff to our last month of high school. dyan recited a poem entitled, “The Tears co-advisors. When asked how she felt the Vibiana, a gorgeous church restored It’s just about getting to spend the night of Mother Arax” in honor of an Armenian about the assembly, Hayrikyan said, into a banquet hall in downtown Los An- with close friends.” river which today lies in Turkey. Eugenia “The commemoration of the Armenian Bagdassarian played a piece on the piano Genocide has a special meaning for me by famous Armenian composer Arno Ba- because both my parents’ families suf- INSIDE bajanian. The International Dance Team fered from this massacre. The assembly Glendale High’s fag football team danced to a mournful song which through helps our students recognize the horrors dance retold the story of the Armenians of genocide.” She wants to prevent dis- The Powder Puff Girls sweep Hoover. during their time of grief. crimination based on a person’s race, re- A video also played during the assem- ligion or faith from happening. Through See SPORTS Page 7 bly, and it discussed how the U.S govern- the assembly, Armenian Club wanted to ment today is debating on whether to sign make everyone aware of the dangers as NEWS Pages 1-2 a bill recognizing the genocide in Armenia. well as the struggles that many face. VIEWPOINT Page 3 The most emotional part of the assembly, The ceremony was an emotional FEATURES Page 4-5 was when the mayor of Glendale, Ara remembrance that honored those who ENTERTAINMENT Page 6 Najarian, gave a speech about his grand- died, and helped the memory of those SPORTS Page 7-8 father’s infuence on him when he was a long gone to live on forever. Friday, May 14, 2010 22 NEWS History Day Bertram leaves Glendale in California GOODBYE: After nearly two great years of service, AP Mike Bertram bids farewell. BY AUSTIN HUI BY GOHAR ABRAHAMYAN Sports Editor Features Editor On May 8, freshman Monica The week prior to spring break brought Amezquita and juniors Daisy Cortez, on a lot of changes to the three major high Diana Diokno, Susie Lee, Justine Ve- schools in our district. Mike Bertram, who lasquez, and Jisu Yoo participated in the was previously the assistant principal at annual History Day in California state f- Glendale High was promoted to associate nals. This year’s theme was “Innovation principal at Crescenta Valley High. in History: Impact and Change.” The promotion Bertram applied for Amezquita competed in the senior was a terrifc opportunity for him to ad- individual documentary category. Her vance in the district. After the nearly two entry was entitled “Solar Power: A Race years that he was a part of the GHS family, to Our Atmosphere’s Salvation.” She he will miss the students and staff mem- created an extensively researched docu- bers the most. mentary that encompassed the scientifc Bertram said that although the two fa- aspects of solar power and its signifcant cilities have different instructional focus, effects. GHS and CV are both wonderful schools. Cortez, Diokno, Lee, and Velasquez The transition to the new school has been Photo Courtesy of Stylus Photo Courtesy of Stylus competed in the senior group documen- quite hectic. TO CV: Mike Bertram will be FROM HOOVER: GHS wel- tary category. They submitted the entry Thankfully, the students and staff at comes the new assistant principal “Unsung Heroes of Democracy: The missed, especially by AP students Philippine People Power Revolution,” CV have been as good to him as Glendale Bill Sterling. was, and the frst few weeks have been who benefted from all his help. which received frst place in the L.A. pleasant. The job must be easier to get to as Sterling says that the two high schools pects of a high school education.” County competition. well, considering the fact that our former are actually very similar, and that he re- The only thing Sterling would like to Yoo performed a monologue about AP lives in La Crescenta and his daughter ally appreciates the way the staff and stu- change is within himself: to learn more abortion in the senior individual perfor- attends school there. dents have welcomed him in his frst three names and be able to fnd classrooms on mance category. She acted out the history GHS staff members and students alike weeks. his own. of abortion and the impact it has made will certainly miss their old assistant prin- With nothing but positive things to say Students have not been very affected upon American society. Given her out- cipal, but he has been replaced by a very about our school, the current assistant prin- by the changes. Sterling has taken charge standing performance, she advanced to capable educator that will surely do great cipal is quite happy here, despite not know- of AP testing, previously Bertram’s task. the fnal round in the state fnals. service to the school. ing where anything is. “I like GHS very It is a complicated process that has gone Though none of the Glendale partici- William Sterling, who was a former much. It seems to be a school that works considerably smoothly. pants qualifed for the national competi- assistant principal at Hoover High School, very hard on providing students with nu- GHS welcomes Sterling to the Nitro tion, they have still come a very long way was chosen to take Bertram’s old position. merous opportunities to experience all as- family. and represented their school well. New class offcers Cheer wins frst place named for new year at Knotts competition VOTE: Students from each class have chosen their CHAMPS: Nitro spirit squad brings home title from respective class offcers for the upcoming school year. one of the most prestigious state competitions.
BY NAZELI HAROUTUNIAN jie Lee for director of publicity. BY ARSHALUS GULIYAN they enjoy the perks that come with being Staff Reporter The junior class president of 2012 will Staff Reporter on the cheer squad – being surrounded by be Mary Manukyan. For the junior class your friends, missing class, and traveling. On Thursday April 22, Glendale vice president, Maryann Adraincem won Where would our GHS spirit be with- “When we travel, I enjoy meeting all the High School held its class elections for the vote. Cynthia Huang was voted to be out our Cheer Team? Our school cheer- different people from various schools,” next year. Students voted for the offcers secretary and Lourdes Pacheco won to be leaders play a big part in maintaining our Lawrence added. of their class at the quad. director of fundraising. Tatiana Ochoa was school spirit. Despite the competitive spirit of the According to the votes, the senior announced as director of publicity. On March 27, the Cheer Squad sport, the girls still prioritize their safety class president of 2011 will be Levon Meghan Spencer was announced to claimed the title of State Champions. The and well being of the team over any frst Derkalousdian. The senior class vice be the president of the sophomore class of girls competed in the Knott’s Berry Farm place title. The team has developed a president will be Ernie Mejia and Susie 2013. The sophomore vice president will Competition and came in frst place. It bond similar to that of a family. All the Lee will be secretary. Ara Garibyan was be Allina Urumieh. Kevin Corte was voted seems their endless hours of practice and girls all know each other and support voted as director of fundraising and Min- as director of fundraising. dedication has paid off. each other in everything they do – one Cheerleaders Christina Mata, Blaire of the main reasons why they have been Kemper, and Don’Shanell Lawrence are very successful this year. very serious about competing in events like “All the girls have developed friend- the Knott’s Berry Farm Competition, but, ships and lasting memories that will go more importantly, they make sure to have beyond our high school years. Being on HAIR STYLING By fun while doing it. cheer is defnitely a learning experience; When asked what they love most about you learn a lot more than a few cheer Natalie being in cheer, all three girls agreed that moves,” said junior Andrea Viau. (818) 915-4069 or [email protected] NEWS IN BRIEF
Prom is around the corner! * The California Junior Classical League State Convention was held on April 23- 24 in which Latin students from all California high schools met to compete and And you need a Stylist? attend Colloquia hosted by experts in a variety of felds. Sophomore Calvin Cas- tro was ranked third in the state for the intermediate timed vocabulary challenge. Call, text, or e-mail Natalie for an appointment! Junior Andrew Su was ranked second in the state for the advanced timed vocabu- lary challenge. In the Open Certamen, the classical quiz bowl, juniors Austin Hui, PRICES: Any style: $50, Make-up $40, Hair+ Alex Levin, and Jisu Yoo as a group were ranked second in the state. Make-up $80, Blow dry $30, Hair locs $250, * High school students will no longer have to take a computer class or pass the Sew in extensions $100, Hair cut $50, Color or technology test to graduate. Highlights $100! * Vena Hakopian has been named a winner of the Glendale Public Library’s Bookmark Contest. These are exclusive prices for students! * Valedictorian David Vartanyan wins National Merit Scholarship.
* Round 2 will be on Thursday, May 20 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is $2. Bring a friend and you both receive $10 off! Friday, May 14, 2010 Glendale High School Explosion 33 VVIEWPOINTIEWPOINT Unveiling the Batman vs. Spiderman food we eat Story by Roger Quintanilla and Photo courtesy of Google The eternal debate of which hero would stump the In a fair scenario on the roof of some building, the two other if they were ever to cross paths is one of epic pro- would duke it out to the best of their abilities. They would portions. So take New York’s “Webslinger” and Gotham both take their same general approach to the fght; Batman City’s “Dark Knight,” who would be the victor at the end would remain hidden while Spidey would cling to a wall. of the day? Based on the general movie success, many Once they came into contact it would simply come down people would agree that Batman would sweep the foor to whether Spidey’s refexes are good enough to beat out with Spidey, but this battle is Batman’s unmatched martial more than just a scratch on arts training. As said before, the surface. Spider-Man is 15 times more Taking every known fact agile so he would make quick from comic books, the battle work of Batman. would be a long and treach- From a distance, Batman erous one. Batman, as many has the advantage as he carries know, is an ordinary human batarangs that can penetrate being who has trained himself anything they come into con- Everyday I wake up to the same routine and give to the peak of human perfec- tact with. Spider-Man’s fght hardly any thought to the activities that are most es- tion. His endurance is compa- would remain on his refexes sential for my survival and daily living. rable to an Olympic decathlon and intelligence (Spidey’s IQ For the days that I don’t skip breakfast, I reach participant, his reactions are is 200 while Batman’s is 192). for some of my favorite cereal without any hesita- trained highly enough that he The fght would ultimately tion; I pay no attention to its high levels of sugar or can dodge a bullet from point not rely on strength, weapons, sodium, and instead am charmed by its fun advertis- blank range, and his strength or agility as Batman is signif- ing and its promise for 70% more fber. I come home so great he can prevent a ceiling weighing a 1,000 lbs from cantly handicapped yet can keep up, the victor would be from school worn-out and frazzled; I’m too hungry falling on him. Spidey on the other hand has real powers decided by sheer cleverness and intelligence. As seen time and impatient to eat anything other than fast food. as he has the strength to lift ten tons; his refexes are 15 and time again, Batman uses his weapons, training, intimi- Besides, fast food is much more accommodating times faster than the most disciplined human, and he has dation, and brute strength to outmatch his opponents while to my mother’s busy schedule than a home-cooked the ability to cling onto virtually any surface. Spider-Man relies on his wits to best his enemies and that meal is. Now that the facts have been presented, the question is why at the end of the day Spider-Man would be the last Occasionally, I am faced with the ugly truth of is simply one of whether a human can beat a superhuman. hero standing. And Tayne, will you go to prom with me? how unhealthy my eating habits are. When I see an advertisement slamming the meat industry with some hard-hitting facts and images of crippled cows, I am disgusted and make a pledge to change my eating habits; however, the image of crippled cows leaves Thinking twice about what you say my mind within a few days, and I go back to my old eating habits without any hesitation. I always think that those who advertise healthy Story by Arshalus Guliyan lifestyles and encourage eating all organic are just When the Western Association of Schools and Col- Dynamiter family; no matter what grade. We excel and as questionable as the industrial food companies. leges (WASC) visited GHS in the middle of March, the succeed in whatever we put our minds to. PETA doesn’t exactly win me over either, seeing as group of offcials randomly selected students from all Compared to the problems that other schools face I don’t see how using sex and scantily clad women classes to answer some questions about GHS. nowadays, not being able to listen to music is minimal- are helping protect animal rights. Despite my cyni- One of the seniors that attended, Sarkis Krikor, was istic. The problem with putting down your school for cism, I decided to give the documentary Food, Inc. asked if he would have chosen any high school over the sole fact that you cannot listen to music in class a chance. ours; which he boldly replied too, saying, “Nah!” He is not the wisest thing to do. It is in your best inter- Although I’m largely ignorant about where my kept responding positively about all questions regard- est to shed positive light on your school and accurately food comes from (just like I’m intended to), I’ve al- ing our school. review it. If you do not speak positively about your ways had a curiosity and interest to know what I’m Despite many students being eager to share posi- school, then it gives everyone else the right to speak of eating and exactly where it comes from. After giving tive reviews about the school; they were not hesitant to it negatively as well. Food, Inc. a shot, I now question our food supply share their complaints about Glendale High as well. What those students who mindlessly slash our industry and why it is we live in a nation where a GHS is not just a regular school that just wants to school do not understand is that, we are here to learn, banana costs more than a bag of chips. get the job done. We want to get the job done, help out, and that high school is here to prepare us for what we’ll Like many others, I am much more likely to be there, and go out with a BANG! We are all one big experience in the real world. sit down and watch a movie than go out and buy a book. This makes Food, Inc. much more appealing to the masses, and also brings to our attention the catastrophe that fast food has led us to. GLENDALE HIGH SCHOOL While I do have a tendency to dismiss anything that seems to be one-sided or bias, I value this flm’s message and encourage everyone to watch it imme- EXPLOSION diately. I’d like to think it’s not a huge propaganda The Staff believes it is our duty to report campus news, to inform students of affairs in the surrounding community and world, to explore issues, and to offer constructive criticism where necessary. By-lined articles refect the views of the writer, while editorials refect the piece and is truthful in its breakdown of the food majority opinion of the editorial board. supply system. Explosion welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must be signed and in good taste. We reserve the right to edit for space or clarity. Whether or not you run to your local farmer’s Advertisements contained in this publication do not refect the endorsement of such products or services by Explosion, Glendale market after seeing the movie is up to you; however, High School, or the Glendale Unifed School District. I strongly urge that you do not remain ignorant about Explosion is published up to ten times during the school year by the production journalism staff of Glendale High School, 1440 something as important and intimate as the food you East Broadway, Glendale, California 91205, (818) 242-2161, ext. 1156, Fax-(818) 244-6309, under the auspices of Glendale Unifed School eat. District. Explosion is printed at News-Type Service, Glendale, California and is in its 94th year of publication. Advertising rates are $6 per column inch.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF COPY EDITOR Tina Petrosian Louie Hwang NEWS EDITORS Mari Khasmanyan STAFF REPORTERS Justine Velasquez Eve Ebrahimian Emin Aleksani VIEWPOINT EDITOR Arshalus Guliyan Christina Asadourian Manuk Hakobyan FEATURES EDITORS Pavel Miskaryants Michelle Abraamian Tomas Pascali Gohar Abrahamyan Ani Stepanosyan Arsine Torosyan Nazeli Haroutunian ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Laura Tagmazian Alissa Der Sarkissian SPORTS EDITORS Rita Hovespians Christina Asadourian is the Viewpoint Edi- Austin Hui ADVISER Roger Quintanilla Patrick Lancaster tor of the Explosion. Taylor Weaver 44 Friday, May 14, 2010 Glendale High School Explosion FFEATURESEATURES Stories by Arsine Torosyan and Photos by Tina Petrosian Enchanted Forest The ever so popular Cobb Estate (bet- the middle of the night. We - believe it our ter known as the Enchanted Forest to us not - heard the eerie sound of a harmonica Glendalians) has been the center of person- whistling through the air. Stopping dead in al horror stories for quite some time now. our tracks, we stayed silent trying to fgure Being the curious bunch that we are, out if we were just paranoid or if what we some editors from your very own Explo- were hearing was actually happening. sion staff decided to do a little investiga- After a minute or two, we decide to tion of our own. We would ultimately de- not follow the example of every teen group termine whether this “Enchanted Forest” in a horror movie, and fght the curiosity has anything worth seeing. rushing through us. ’Till this day, we won- We found directions, set a date, and der what we would have found in that un- hopped in Tina’s black SUV (typical hor- natural shrub if we had done a little inves- ror movie vehicle), and headed down for a tigation. good fright. After a few minutes drive, we We wandered deeper and deeper into were towered by tall trees enclosed with a the forest searching for the now deserted layer of fog. insane asaylum, and other supernatural We held our breath and walked past activity along the way. Despite a two hour the unwelcoming black gates. With a pit- uphill hike, no such insane asylum was ter patter here and a fashlight ficker there, found. it was safe to say we knew we’d come On our walk back, we thought over back with stories to tell. As we made our our experience and came to the conclusion way through the trail, and passed shrub that our night wasn’t exactly the fright fest after shrub, we encountered a sound you we were hoping for. But, this is not to say shouldn’t be hearing in an empty forest in that you will not fnd a real scare. ‘No, Tina stop! Don’t go!’ The infamous house on Rohr Street has been the do this!” source of much terror and excitement for people of all ages After Christina was so obviously ignored, Tina looking for a good scare in Glendale. We decided to check suprisingly set aside any worry and any doubt, and out the “Vampire House” to see if it lived up to its hype. drove through her over bearing fear of possible death. After hearing stories about a man with piercing red Well, for about two seconds anyway. As soon as the eyes who chases away unwanted visitors, we decided to car moved closer into the darkness and Christina’s wait until dark to head up to the much talked about house. screams of fright were no longer tolerable, Tina quick- We were determined to cross this scare-flled expe- ly grasped the gear shift, put it in reverse, and drove rience off our list, and we pumped ourselves up for the backwards down a narrow hill as if the alleged “Vam- fright we knew was coming. pire” was getting ready to jump on the windshield. As we drove through the familiar streets of Glendale, Due to her newly learned driving skills, Tina managed all was well and we seemed ready for any supernatural to hit an unidentifed object that caused Christina to activity that came our way. Once we found ourselves on scream, which caused me to shriek louder than any streets that were less familiar and more ominous, a certain teen girl in a horror movie. In all this excitement, chill ran down our spines. Christina hollered, “It’s all foggy and...” along with Soon we pulled up onto an unnaturally dark street and some other unmentionables. At this point, we took a confdently continued the drive to the hill that would lead look at the windshield in which Christina was so epi- us the house we were so eager to see. Right as Tina turned cally staring at and realized the entire glass was cov- her wheel slightly to the right and the headlights revealed ered in fog in a matter of seconds. little of the long, disturbing road ahead, a “what are we Once we recovered from this phenomenon, we getting ourselves into” moment flled the entire car. Tina, drove away from the house as quickly as possible, swallowing her fright, slowly pushed the gas pedal and hoping to reach normalcy. Imagine my disappoint- the car moved no more than four inches, when Christina ment after not going anywhere near the haunted house blurts out, “NO! Tina stop, don’t go!” To which I followed shown at the left (which is a complete exaggeration, if with, “What?! No, drive Tina, you have to go, we have to it wasn’t already noticable). Gravity Hill
Imagine a hill that defeats gravity – somehow you fnd yourself going backwards uphill. Gravity hill, located in Altadena, happens to be a hotspot among curious teens and anyone else in search of a good scare. It attracts visi- tors from all over Los Angeles even though it is kept a secret among locals. It is said that you are supposed to drive up the hill and put the car in neutral; the car will roll back up the hill, ap- pearing that you are drifting uphill and defeating the law of gravity. Our team of editors made the mistake of having several people in the car, which lessens the effect. For those who are interested in going and having a quick thrill, make sure you put your car in neutral. For best results, have only the driver stay in the car and he or she will defnitely feel the effect. The passengers can get out of the car and watch. Another fun thing to do is roll a water even say their spirits try to prevent others from receiving us and another group of curious teens unfamiliar with bottle down the hill, which makes it seem that the water the same fate. the area. The older men happened to have two dogs that bottle is climbing up the hill. Another urban legend attached to Gravity Hill is that were about twice our size and had the ability to chew While many seem to just see Gravity Hill as an opti- fngerprints start appearing on your windows as soon as us up. cal illusion, there are some who believe it to be haunted. you go up the hill. Whether or not our team of editors believes Grav- There are many stories surrounding Gravity Hill. Among Despite the fact that we didn’t see any fngerprints, ity Hill to be haunted, we all agree that Gravity Hill of the stories is the story of a girl that took her parents’ car we did get an eerie feeling from being around the Hill. The is defnitely a sight to see. Make sure to bring a group out for a joyride with her friends. They spun of control and surrounding area was isolated. The only people we saw of friends, a water bottle, and some excitement for the crashed, and now their spirits reside in that area. Some were two older men who looked less than thrilled to see adventure ahead of you. Friday, May 14, 2010 Glendale High School Explosion FEATURES 55 Culture Shock; Not the boring kind Photos by Rita Hovsepians, stories by Gohar Abrahamyan and Michelle Abraamian respectively
Although not ideally the average punk’s Rockabilly is the gut of this subgenre, subgenre of music, gypsy punk has its fol- but punk keeps the blood fowing. When lowers throughout the free world, and has punk rock began to maintain its size in even become…well, not really popular, but the music industry, the brats bored with not completely obscure. The most noted political propaganda formed psychobilly. band in this subculture is Gogol Bordello, Guys slicked their hair back, still wearing whose song “Through the Roof ‘N’ Un- Ramones style leather jackets while girls derground” was a main attraction of every dressed for a shimmy, but were covered misanthrope’s favorite love story, Wristcut- in tattoos. Two of the coolest genres at the ters. The song combines a unique Ukrai- time had ventured off and created this hor- nian/Russian melody with surprising lyrics ror show for freaks. Bands like The Cramps exposing problems and harsh realities in or The Meteors subliminally started this the world, with underlying themes relating revolution. Now the Horrorpops, Koffn to depression, commercial debauchery, and Kats, and Nekromantix keep the tradition individualism. The band provides an awe- going. Soon enough the electric bass will some sound to jam out to as well as indi- be obsolete, and the up-right bass will be viduals with strong voices aimed towards slapping through your radios speakers. truth and revelations. A truly revolutionary In the 80’s, times were changing but group, Gogol Bordello is a band not to be music was keeping up with the adjustments underestimated. People should really give just as fast. Across the puddle in the United this a try, even if weird Ukrainian punk is Kingdom the music industry was also trans- not their cup of tea. Steampunk- never heard of it, right? forming. The Pogues decided to collabo- This oddball lifestyle trend immerged in rate English underground with traditional the ‘80’s. Mixing science fction with Vic- Irish folk music. Most people cannot even torian era clothing, these strange people fathom what that would sound like. The defnitely made heads turn. As the name results could be a positive explosion. Flog- states, the fashion is based on times when ging Molly and the Dropkick Murphys are steam power was used. Books like Jules held accountable for making Celtic Punk Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and popular in the States, despite the diffculty many of H. G. Wells’ works were popular. in understanding Irish Gaelic. Literature for the adolescent youth The Perks of Being a Wallfower by Stephen Chbosky Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palanhiuk The Perks of Being a Wallfower is a to have his story known. His new Eng- Chuck Palahniuk is widely known for throughout the majority of the book. After coming of age story, more personal than a lish teacher encourages Charlie to make his novel Fight Club, but the paperback being shot in the face while on the road, her diary, about a sensitive boy in a confusing friends and recommends books for him. Invisible Monsters is a point of view from dreams to become a model are shattered, time. It begins when the boy under the alias Introverted Charlie meets pretty Saman- his more feminine side. The story is told much like her jawbone. The ability to speak of Charlie writes to an anonymous person tha and homosexual Patrick, extraordinary by a woman whose name remains a secret is lost, and she resides to speech lessons in characters who affect his life more than he the hospital where she spends most of her could have guessed. Charlie falls in love days recovering. This is where she meets with Sam, but gets involved in some tricky the infamous enigma Brandy Alexander. social situations. As the year wears on, he Brandy gives our narrator nicknames, tells not only discovers things about life, but her to give herself a new life, and a totally about himself and about the human nature. fresh identity. The accident put her life at He experiments with drugs and people, and a stand still. No one looks at her like they evolves from being a naive youth to having did, her friends fnd her irrelevant- she has felt “infnite.” Dealing with complicated become a completely different person in- social webs, his sister’s hypocritical femi- side and out. On the path to do what she’s nist views, his brother’s college football told from a friend entirely different than career, and a dark hidden secret from his herself, she fnds out how truly beautiful past, Charlie truly discovers the perks of she is, besides the fact she is missing parts being a wallfower. The book refers to lit- of her lovely profle. The book draws all erature and music that will be appreciated sorts of crowds into it and connects with by the teenage crowd. just about everyone.
Music: Albums we fancy. You fancy these also, jes? Oui, I know. Pictures courtesy of Google
The Pixies: Doolittle The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s: It’s Blitz! Formed in Boston in ‘86, the Pixies The Yeah Yeahs have single-handedly are a grungy alternative punk rock band. crushed the wall in most people’s heads Credited with being an infuence of Kurt with negative stigmas against chick sing- Cobain, this band is an obvious choice ers. The band has released fve albums in when thinking about great music. Doolit- total over the course of their 10 years to- tle, their third album, may not have been gether. It’s Blitz! established them at higher as popular as Surfer Rosa, but it happens grounds, making them a favorite among to be my personal favorite. Among their those who hadn’t even heard of the group. more noted songs are “Debaser,” “Wave of With songs like “Little Shadow,” and “Dull Mutilation,” and “This Monkey’s Gone to Life,” the classic band’s sound still keeps Heaven,” the latter still being played on ra- consistent throughout the album. From dio stations in the UK. Though never hav- playing in obscure clubs to being a world- ing earned the commercial popularity of wide phenomenon, the band that hailed other bands in it’s genre, the Pixies are not from New York City grabs cultural essence to be underestimated. The band is known from around the world. They dissect his- for writting songs about odd things, and toric eras from the past and give the listen- UFO’s, physical injury, surrealism are just ers toe tapping and head bobbing noise. It’s a few of these fun topics. Doolittle is a par- Blitz! is a great milestone for the YYY’s. ticularly impressive album because almost Creativity takes them to new heights, so every track is one that listeners will love. keeping an eye out would be best. 66 Friday, May 14, 2010 Glendale High School Explosion EENTNTEERTAINMRTAINMEENTNT
Super Street Fighter 4 has been one franchises bringing the cast to a whopping The game’s story mode though, isn’t all of the most anticipated games of 2010. total of 35 playable characters. Along with too much to rave about. The game features Gamers have waited months for the re- the new fghters comes fve new stages, countless hours of cut scenes but many of lease. classic game types, like the car destruction them seem irrelevant to the already confus- With a long history of success in mini-game, and new special moves for pre- ing plot. Still, playing story mode is worth its name, Super Street Fighter 4 was re- viously included characters. The game can it as it unlocks some features like being leased as a sequel to Street Fighter 4. fool someone new to the franchise as it is able to choose the language your character The updated and refreshed game fea- a completely new game, though it has con- speaks in and what type of music you want tures ten new fghters from previous SF stantly been called a massive update. to hear during battle. SSFIV is designed to be opened to gamers of all types, it presents itself as a seemingly simple game but as you prog- ress in skill and knowledge it becomes more and more complex. The match-ups are infnite so the fun never ends. Super Street Fighter 4 is defnitely worth picking up seeing as it’s a brand new game that you can grab for $40, less than the average cost of most new games. by Roger Quintanilla
Released in November 2009, the most Infnity Ward has truly found the per- this game, and most people would say anticipated frst person shooter game hit fect balance between the graphics, controls, “simply amazing.” The gamer truly the stores and sold out nationwide during and a perfect story line to grab the gamer feels like they’re inside the war fght- Christmas time. aThere is not a teenager and drag them to a point of addiction. No ing alongside the U.S. Armed Forces that doesn’t know what COD stands for. matter what game mode you’re playing, and the British S.A.S. Keep up the great Through Facebook fan pages, websites, campaign, multiplayer, or special ops, you work Infnity Ward, as you have capti- clubs, and tournaments, it has easily be- are sure to not want to stop playing except vated an impressive number of people come the talk of the day. for a short bathroom break. and kept them asking for more. Modern Warfare 2’s campaign kicks There’s only a few words to describe by Emin Aleksani off with a couple of brief tutorials to get new players used to the controls. It then plunges straight into the game’s story, without giving too many plot details away immediately. This hot game by Infnity Ward cur- rently has the most online players of any game on the market, and has set a new precedent of how video games should be made. There simply isn’t a mission that goes by which doesn’t drop a players jaw. Friday, May 14, 2010 Glendale High School Explosion 77 SSPORTPORTSS Powder Puffs protect Nitro pride Story by Taylor Weaver and Photos courtesy of Stylus
Our boys’ football team has fnished On the day of the game, the girls it’s season, and is now giving the girls a had a lunch rally to promote people to go turn. Glendale High has brought back our and support them. They were relaxed and Powder Puff girl’s football team. ready to play their hardest when it was Senior Jamilah Jabali requested the game time. The girls came out onto the permission to start a team to play against feld and started their normal warm-ups. arch rival, Hoover High. Assistant foot- They looked as sharp as a knife. ball coach Steve Holmoe agreed to coach On April 2, the game started on the girls with the help of JV coach Da- Glendale’s side as they scored a touch- vid Broughton, and three senior varsity down within the frst few minutes. This football players, Moises Chaves, Vicken set the tone for the entire game as Hoover Krikorian, and Oscar Avina. was not able to keep up with Glendale’s However, there is a twist on the speed and skill. game rules, the girls only play on half of Hoover was not about to give up the the feld, and they wear fags around their fght, but they could not get past Glen- waist. dale’s tough defense. The game went The girls practiced every Monday, by and Glendale had scored consecutive Wednesday, and Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. touchdowns repeatedly. Hoover could not During their practices, the girls worked fnd a way to stop Glendale’s explosive on blocking, catching, and throwing. The offense. coaching staff was extremely impressed The game was over with an astound- by the girls’ hardwork throughout all the ing score of 28-0, Glendale’s victory. practices. After the game, the girls celebrated by Although Coach Holmoe was strict dumping the water and ice onto Holmoe’s about being on time and giving 100 per- head. “These girls did an amazing job de- cent, he still managed to motivate the feating Hoover and avenging the boys,” girls into working harder everyday. The said Holmoe. The team was in awe while girls were both excited and determined to Hoover walked away with their heads pound Hoover into the ground. They had down. Glendale ended their celebration their heart set on proving that girls can by cheering and singing their own song. play football as well as the guys. The Powder Puff team should be a Since they were versing their rivals, long lasting tradition between the two ri- the girls believed that they had to avenge vals. This year actually marked the fourth GHS for losing the Homecoming Game. year the Powder Puff has been played. Sprint, Softball ends season on top STRENGTH: The Lady Nitros were at their best against Hoover High School yesterday, defeating the Tornadoes 2-1 to end the season.
Jump, Win! BY JUSTINE VELASQUEZ their arch-rivals, Hoover. The team has come a long way News Editor from when it played Hoover earlier in the season. In that game Hoover won a mercy rule decision, 10-0. It was a ENDURANCE: The track team One of the strongest assets of Glendale’s softball team completely different story yesterday at Dalton Field as the ends their season on a high note. is the unity they have presented through this year. Over- Lady Nitros put together, perhaps their best game of the all, the girls have had a great season, challenging even the year. The girls gave it their very best and won the battle. It BY TOMAS PASCALI most formidable teams in the league. was a perfect ending to an exciting season as they defeated Staff Reporter One of the best games the team had this season was Hoover by the score of 2-1. the one against Arcadia on May 11. The team showed great Junior Casey Ramirez pitched an outstanding game Glendale High’s 2010 track team seems to be as ft as chemistry and talent despite losing by two runs leaving the while sophomore Janette Avina stopped everything in front ever, despite a shortage of event runners this year. A few score 8-6. The girls fought a good battle against one of the of her. Spencer had two triples, senior Taylor Weaver had of this season’s best team captains are John Canlas and best teams in the Pacifc League. one triple, sophomore Kristi Cabana laid down a perfect Frances Pasamba for long distance, and Rasul Landery for Freshman Meghan Spencer and senior Abigail Nagy bunt, and Nagy had one RBI to bring in the second run. hurdles, representing 110 meter and 300 meter hurdles. hit well throughout the game, showing the extent of the Freshmen Alia Zavala made the winning catch at frst base Pasamba is an excellent runner who has been running ability of the softball girls. It was in this game that the to end the game with a victory. and winning competitions during all of her four years at team truly came together as one and showed their true po- The Nitros celebrated their last win by gorging them- Glendale High. Another star runner this season is fresh- tential. selves. Players exerted a lot of effort to get this win and they man Michael Davis, who recently qualifed for the CIF in The team played their last game yesterday against were able to achieve their goal coming into the game. the 100 and 200 meter dashes. He was the league cham- pion in the 200. He has proven to be one of the fastest runners in the area this year. Boys tennis takes 4th in league The long jump, triple jump and high jump divisions are performing well, despite the fact that they lack a coach and train mostly on their own, with occasional help from RACKET: Boys defeat Hoover, Righetti, but lose to Palm Desert High. the distance coaches. “We lacked [people] in feld events so we had runners trying those events,” said senior Han- BY GOHAR ABRAHAMYAN the CIF playoffs. nah Andrade, discussing the shortage of athletes in feld Features Editor With two outstanding players in doubles, Jeff Asano events. However, the team still have exceptional athletes and Elliot Kim beat most players with the second best re- in these events, such as senior athletes, Christian Tom, The boys’ tennis season has come to an end, and the cord in the league. Sweeping Righetti, the duo started off and Daniel Flores. Sophomore student Gabriella Kovarik entire team must be relieved to be able to fnally relax and with confdence and excitement. is also doing exceptionally well in the same events this take a breather. Having beat Hoover and obtaining a spot Following the win, Asano and Kim lost against Palm season. in the CIF playoffs, the team has reached the goal they Desert High as a double team, then individually again. In general, even when there are a shortage of athletes had set in the beginning of the year. Once at the play- Asano states, “I have no regrets regarding our matches for some track events, our GHS athletes always strive to be offs, Righetti High School was given quite a beating, 15- because we did our best. Honestly, they were just on a dif- the best team, and have the most passion. When asked how 3. However, the winning streak the Glendale team was ferent level than us.” he feels about track competitions, the hopeful senior Dan- on came to a bitter end when Palm Desert High School’s In the singles category, Ashot Papikian has been the iel Flores stated, “We just hope to inspire a bunch of new team, the CIF’s #1 team, beat GHS 17-1. star player for quite a while. Unfortunately for Glendale students to come join track next year, and even if you’re “We gained confdence in the frst round, but the num- High School, he will be graduating this year, taking his a senior, if you can run fast, just show everyone what you ber one seed was at a higher level than us. But we gave it shining talent with him. Without him, the boys’ varsity got.” our best effort, which is what really counts,” said Ashot tennis team will have to push themselves even harder and Track ends their season with their 11th straight win Papikian. Despite the loss, the Glendale boys’ team still stronger to make it to the playoffs next season. They hope against Hoover to win the Victory Bowl. managed to squeeze in fourth place in league and make to come back the next year with even more successes. Friday, May 14, 2010 Glendale High School Explosion 88 SPORTS Volleyball ends well SPIKED: For second time this season, Nitros varsity spikers sweep cross-town rivals Hoover, 3-0.
BY TINA PETROSIAN leyball team as they ended their season on Editor-in-Chief a high note. In their last game of the season against Hoover the boys played remark- The boys’ volleyball team came into ably. “In a sense it was bittersweet, know- the season with high hopes, but defnitely ing it was our last high school game, and surpassed expectations. With only two having all our seniors on the court playing returning varsity players, one of major led us to show no mercy,” said outside hit- struggles included playing off each others’ ter Shant Alvandyan regarding the Hoover weaknesses, and building strong commu- game. nication on and off the court. Though the season is over, the vol- The hardest game of the season was leyball team hopes to gain more success the frst game against Claremont. Because this upcoming year despite losing many they are the toughest team in the league, the seniors to graduation. The team has already team let their nerves get the best of them, began conditioning and will be in peak and after playing as well as they could, shape next year. their struggles eventually became to much “I have great hopes for the upcom- and the game resulted in a loss. ing years. We have a lot of younger players Photo Courtesy of Stylus However, practicing everyday after with great potential,” said middle blocker SET: Varsity Captain Victor Hernandez skillfully hits the ball upward for school until 6 p.m. has paid off for the vol- Alec Lewald. his teammate. Tough time for baseball STRUGGLING: Boys fght hard but obstacles prove to be far too much. They close out season today against Hoover at GHS at 3:30.
BY PAVEL MISKARYANTS every day for practice and always giving their 100 percent Staff Reporter effort. According to some of the varsity players, the team does great up until the ffth inning which is where their Baseball has started another season with a 2–11 re- struggles begin and they slowly begin to fall behind. cord. The saving grace among the team is Bennett Koss, They are now second to last in their league and the along with Harry Loving and Skylar Ku, the former two only hope for salvaging this season rests on the game being star hitters, the latter the star pitcher. against Hoover today. For the seniors graduating this year, Despite losing, the match against Pasadena was a win against Hoover would make their season a lot less their best-played game. The last game of the year is painful, and would also make the kickball game at the end tomorrow at Glendale High at 3:30 against Hoover, of the year more enjoyable. which shortstop John Evans predicted they’d win 3–2. It has been a genuinely diffcult year for this season, Coach Jesus Osuna has confdence in this year’s but the Glendale baseball team has not given up. They are team, and hopes that the seniors can pull out a win for trying their best to improve and refne their techniques to their last game of the season. The wins the team did pull be ready for the fnal game against Hoover. Photo Courtesy of Stylus off were against John Muir both times, along with some Hopefully, they can pull a win out for their last game SWING: Skylar Ku makes his attempt to hit non-league wins to go with it. and be able to walk off the feld with a smile on their fac- the ball way out of the park for a home run. The team is very dedicated, staying after school es. Golf team swinging for their wins Guevara, Sher PROGRESS: Coach expects his players to grow as they learn the game. lead swimmers BY AUSTIN Hui Sports Editor TALENT: Teams keep high ex- While some people believe that golf is not a sport, pectations while being led by each Coach Anthony Mohr knows what a sport really is. “It is of their respective superstars. a team activity with a mental aspect,” said Mohr. The golf team has improved as the season has gone on because the BY MANUK HAKOBYAN new golfers, who have never played before, have learned to Staff Reporter play better much better than they ever thought possible. The top players, Evan Norton, Mikael Gayon, and All good things must come to an end. As this Kevin Aguirre have all made it into the second round years’ swim season closed out, both the boys and girls league prelims. The team plans on focusing on improving felt like they had improved tremendously. Giving it all their scores by being more consistent with their swings. they had in competitions wasn’t enough for their defni- The team has only gotten two wins, both against John tion of complete victory. Defeating rival, Hoover, the Muir High School. Coach Mohr believes that the team is swim team fnally felt accomplished. going to be more skilled next year because some of the At the Pacifc League championships held last players are going to summer lessons, and all of the play- week, the boys swim team fnished ffth with 142 ers are returning next year. Coach Mohr also hopes to get points. The boys trained harder than ever to get bigger, freshmen and other students who want to play golf. faster, stronger. Sophomore Mickey Guevara, compet- ed against the fastest swimmers in the league and won the 100-yard butterfy in 53.08. Mickey’s swim season is still going as he qualifed for CIF in both the butter- fy and the 100-yard backstroke. He will be competing against the best swimmers in southern California today at the CIF prelims. Leading the Nitro girls to a sixth-place fnish with 178 points was Katalina Sher. The senior won the 200- yard freestyle in 1:55.42 and took the 100 freestyle in 53.57. Sher has been undefeated in all her individual events for three years in a row. She holds eight league titles in her 4-year high school career. Sher will also compete at CIF today. Next year seniors Martin Narniyan, Gor Asryan, and Manuk Hakobyan are some of the few who are planning on returning for their last year of high school swimming, and to represent their school with pride and Photo Courtesy of Stylus Photo Courtesy of Stylus glory. The Nitro swim team has done very well this sea- STROKE: Christopher Hernandez looks up- CONCENTRATION: Mikael Gayon focuses on son and have much to be proud of. They plan to return ward to see if his swing was successful. the hole to see if he can tap the ball in. even more hungry next season.